


Covering Things Up

by graytheglowinggay



Series: The Android and the Engineer are in Love (DaForge Fics) [1]
Category: Star Trek: The Next Generation
Genre: Aromantic Asexual Picard, Autistic Data, Awkward Geordi, Awkwardness, Coming Out, Developing Relationship, Discrimination, Discrimination Against Androids, Fluff, Geordi POV, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Making Out, POV Third Person, Poor Picard, Public Display of Affection, Troi Always Finds Out, Turbolift, Walking In On Someone, You Can't Hide From The Telpath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-04
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-11-09 03:16:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11095737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graytheglowinggay/pseuds/graytheglowinggay
Summary: Geordi and Data have been dating for two weeks, and so far they haven't told anyone. Picard and Troi find out but in a less than ideal way.(The Picard headcanon isn't the focus, but it gives context for the way he acts)





	Covering Things Up

Geordi had come to realize that he was not good at breaking big news to people. He learned this when he had been dating Data for two weeks and had yet to say it to anyone. It had certainly been a feat, especially when it came to making sure that Troi didn’t feel anything. Thankfully, Data’s lack of emotions came in handy here. Troi, in fact, had told him that one of the main ways that she was able to tell whether two people were in a romantic relationship was because of the feelings that the two people had in common. Because Data’s feelings were notably absent, it probably wouldn’t feel any different to her than when all he had was an unreciprocated crush. At least, so he hoped. If she had noticed a difference, she was polite enough not to comment on it. She was probably waiting for him to come to her about it. Unfortunately, they were not able to keep things covered up for long, because neither of them seemed to be able to do the right thing at the right time.

Geordi was able to confidently say that Data had spent the night in his quarters. Of course, who he’d be able to say this to was a moot point, but the hypothetical boast was enough to satisfy him. They had managed to leave his room without arousing any suspicion, and now the two of them were traveling in the turbolift up to the bridge. Unsurprisingly, the small space only reignited the previous night’s passions, and before he knew it Geordi was being pressed up against the wall of the lift with a strength that was calculated to be just enough to cause a feeling of pleasurable helplessness, without being impossible for him to escape from. Geordi could feel Data softly humming with pleasure as their mouths met again and again, and that noise only caused Geordi to wrap his arms around the back of Data’s head and pull him in even closer. Geordi let out a long, heavy moan and wondered how things could get better in that moment.

Things didn’t get any better, but they certainly got worse when the turbolift doors slid open with a soft _swoosh_ , putting the two of them in full sight of everyone on the bridge. Unfortunately, or perhaps, fortunately, the only two people that were on the bridge at the moment were Captain Picard and Counselor Troi. While they were the first people that Data and Geordi had discussed telling about their relationship, they were the last people that either of them would want to stumble upon them in such a manner. In the blink of an eye, Data had pulled away and stepped onto the bridge, straightened out his uniform, and stood at attention. His hair, however, wasn’t so dutiful, and still showed signs of where Geordi’s fingers had been tangled in it. Geordi, flustered and unprepared, suddenly became very interested in his shoes.

“Mr. La Forge, shouldn’t you be down in Engineering?” Picard asked, clearly trying his hardest to disguise his own discomfort.

“Yes, sir!” Geordi replied weakly, his voice having left him due to sheer embarrassment. He turned tail and fled back into the lift.

“Oh, and, one more thing before you go,” Picard added. “Meet me in my ready room after this shift, both of you.”

“Sure thing, Captain,” Geordi replied. He gave the captain an awkward thumbs-up, which he then immediately regretted. It felt like the turbolift doors took forever to close.

* * *

 

More out of fear than a sense of duty, Geordi showed up at the doors to the ready room after alpha shift had ended. He rung the bell and heard Picard’s calm “come” in response. As he entered the room, he saw Picard sitting behind his desk. Troi was sitting in a chair on one side of the room, and Data was sitting on a couch on the other.

“Take a seat, Commander,” Picard said. Still very apprehensive about what was to come, Geordi sat down on the couch next to Data. Having observed his partner’s tension, Data took Geordi’s hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

“Well, gentlemen, what happened this morning was certainly unexpected, especially coming from you two. I suppose that we should be grateful that the Admiral hasn’t arrived yet. I’d hate to see what he’d write in his report about ‘proper conduct between officers’.” Picard commented.

“Captain, I think that these two have learned their lesson. There’s no need to embarrass them further,” Troi replied. She paused. “I ask this both as a friend and as Ship’s Counselor: how long have the two of you been together?”

“Two weeks, three days, ten hours--” Data replied before he was cut off by Geordi elbowing him. “Two weeks, sir.”

“Well, I suppose I should let Riker know that he owes Guinan a significant amount of money,” Picard said, chuckling.

“Umm, well…” Geordi replied. He wasn’t quite sure if he wanted his relationship with Data to be common knowledge quite yet.

“Geordi and I were not planning on making our relationship public for another week, so perhaps it would be best to wait until then.” Data explained.

“I understand,” Picard replied.

“I hope that you two do realize that there will come a time when Starfleet will need to know about your relationship, and I’m sure that there will be a great deal of pushback against the idea of a human being in a romantic relationship with an android.”

“Considering that the subject of my own bodily autonomy is still a subject of debate, there are many that would consider Geordi to be taking advantage of me, or abusing Starfleet property.” Data calmly observed.

“Data, don’t say that!” Geordi exclaimed. Data looked at him with an expression that was somewhere in between his versions of confusion and hurt. “I’m sorry, Data. I just can’t stand it when people talk about you like that, like you’re just a concept in a philosophy class, instead of a real being. I wish I could just punch them all in the face.”

“Geordi, such an action would most certainly get you court-martialed.”

“It’s the sentiment that counts, Data. Just know that I’d punch an admiral for you.”

“As your captain, I would ask that you don’t,” Picard added. “If you two desire, I could assign you two shared quarters once you feel comfortable with making your relationship public, that way you can free the turbolift up for its intended purpose.”

Geordi started blushing again. “Sir, it was an accident!”

“Geordi, as I purposefully initiated an intimate act inside the turbolift, it was not an accident.” Data explained.

“ _Data!_ ” Geordi said through his teeth.

“I was merely clarifying the situation.”

Geordi sighed and put his face in his hands. Data lifted one of his partner's hands away and lightly kissed it. “I have learned that a minor romantic gesture such as this can be used as a way to ask for forgiveness from a partner. Am I forgiven?”

Geordi rolled his eyes and lifted Data’s hand to his lips to return the gesture. “You are forgiven.”

“In that case, may I initiate another minor romantic gesture?” Data asked.

“Certainly.”

The two of them leaned in for a chaste kiss that quickly abandoned its intended nature.

“You and Commander Data may leave now,” Picard said, perhaps louder than needed.

Data swiftly stood up, leaving Geordi behind on the couch, still leaning into a kiss that had already ended. Geordi, having noticed that Data was gone, quickly stood up as well, though in a way that was far less graceful.

“Geordi, Data, know that I’m here if you need to talk anything out,” Troi added.

“Thank you, Counselor,” Data said, and then turned to Geordi, offering his arm. “Shall we?”

Geordi grinned and linked his arm with Data. The two of them left the room, arm in arm, in a romantic gesture that had not been in common use for centuries.

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I wrote this thing! A fic based on this kind of awkward situation had been stewing in the back of my mind for several weeks, and today I just sat down and wrote it. Honestly, a moment of silence needs to be had for Picard. He doesn't deserve to have this happen to him.


End file.
